Mother Russia (AS)
Mother Russia was the first story of the second series of The Companion Chronicles by Big Finish Productions. It was read by famous Blue Peter star Peter Purves who played Steven Taylor from 1965-1966. He was joined by Tony Millan, who played the deadly Interrogator. The audio CD was released in 2007. Summary The Russian summer is an idyllic time and place, or so Steven Taylor thought. Somewhere the he and Dodo and the Doctor could take a well-earned holiday. But it's 1812. Winter is coming. Napoleon is marching on Moscow. And an alien spaceship has crashed in the woods. Suddenly Steven isn't sure who he can trust. Or even who he really is. Plot Part 1 The Doctor, Dodo and Steven arrive in Russia, 1812, where they are given individual jobs in a village near Moscow. Steven is given a job working with countryman, Semian Borisovitch Starzoff, who is preparing to be married to Glasha. Steven is asked to be his best man. However, before the wedding, a spaceship crash-lands nearby, attracting Semian. Before Steven can observe the scene, Semian has disappeared and so has the inhabitant of the craft. A bear arrives, claiming winter is coming and knocks Steven out. After reawakening, Steven returns to the Doctor and Dodo and explains his experiences. Semian arrives too, but as a different person. After being rude to the villagers, he is sent away. The TARDIS crew go to investigate and find him hiding in a small hut. The Doctor and Dodo take him to the TARDIS. Steven, however, discovers the real body of Semian outside in the woods. Rushing to the TARDIS, it begins to disappear. Part 2 The Doctor exits the TARDIS with Dodo, claiming that everything is alright. Travelling through the woods, they hear an army marching and looking closely they find the French army lead by Napoleon. Steven is suddenly knocked on the head. Becoming conscious again, he returns to the village where Count Gregori is calling upon soldiers to travel to Moscow to fight. Steven joins them in the hope of finding the Doctor. Dodo and Steven arrive in Moscow and find the Doctor standing with Napoleon overlooking the devastation. Approaching them, they discover that the Doctor has helped the French General capture the city. Looking closer, they find that he is not the Doctor, but a fake reconstruction of his body by the same creature that killed Semian. The real Doctor arrives and tells Napoleon that the fake one must not be trusted and adds that the French will not win the invasion in the end. This begins to become true as a revolution begins, pushing the French back. The fake Doctor is discarded, leaving him to the hands of Steven. Characters * The Doctor * Steven Taylor * Dodo Chaplett * The Interrogator * Napoleon Bonaparte * Semian Borisovitch Starzoff * Count Gregori Nikitin * Glasha * Glasha's Mother * Alexi * Olga Crew * Recording - Dominic Brethes * Editing - David Darlington * Sound Design - David Darlington * Music - David Darlington * CD Mastering - David Darlington * Series Theme - Ron Grainer * Arranger - Delia Derbyshire * Theme Remaster - Mark Ayres & David Darlington * Script Editor - Alan Barnes * BFP Administration - Brenda Smith, Miles Haigh-Ellery & Chris Eaton * Cover Illustration - Simon Holub * Booklet Design - Alex Mallinson * Marketing Director - John Ainsworth * Producer - Sharon Gosling * Executive Producers - Nicholas Briggs, Jason Haigh-Ellery Personal Analysis Category:Stories set on Earth Category:First Doctor Stories Category:Stories featuring Steven Taylor Category:Stories featuring Dodo Chaplett Category:Stories set in 1812 Category:Stories set in Russia Category:Audio Stories